Two Sierra Leonean filmmakers have been detained and face charges for producing a movie deemed offensive to the country’s two largest ethnic groups, a police spokesman confirmed to Politico on Friday.

The movie, titled: ‘Tribal War: Mende vs Temne’, was produced by the Empire Movie Production which is based in Bo in the south of the country. The producer and the director of the controversial movie were detained about three days ago, according to sources familiar with the situation.

A third member of the group, the Executive Producer, is said to be in hiding.

Ibrahim Kamara, Police Media and Communications Officer, told Politico that the men were set to be charged today [Friday March 11] after they had been investigated by the Criminal Investigations Department. He couldn’t say the exact charges they faced.

‘Tribal War’ depicts a story on the line of a dispute between rival families over a piece of land. The authorities say the movie has the tendency to provoke a war.

Earlier this week, the civic education group, the National Commission for Democracy (NCD), issued a statement condemning the film and calling for its banning.

“With due consideration given to the issues that the nation has been grappling with especially tribalism, regionalism, stereotyping, the civil war and its aftermath, NCD is persuaded to hold the view that the producers of this movie are insensitive to the negative potential and the far-reaching implications the content of the movie portends,” the Commission said in a statement.

1 Comment

Maryei SandyMarch 11, 2016 at 8:26 pm

Then arrest EBK on Tribalism Charges. Malimba, Ekutay , and his penchant for regionalism and tribalism has led us so far. If you have a tribally oriented and regionally oriented leader, this is the path our Artist led us. There is no anti – Tribal aw in our constitution.